Cómo CUIDAR a UN GATO QUE SALE A LA CALLE 🙀 | Evita peligros de la calle y MEJORA LA VIDA DE TU GATO

I never thought I'd make a video about this, but today we're talking about cats that go outside. Hi, I'm Carlos and I'm a veterinarian. Welcome to the Happy Pets and Families Channel. On this channel, we almost always talk about indoor cats, those that are inside the house. But today we're going to talk about these cats that in some countries are called outdoor or mixed cats, because they spend a little bit of time inside the house and a little bit outside. These are the cats that go outside. I don't agree with cats going outside alone without supervision, because outside there are a lot of risks that they can't handle. Many of you ask me, hey, Carlos, how do I keep my cat outside safely? Or my cat is used to going outside. I don't care what you say, because it will continue going outside, because they think that this is in the cat's nature, because that it has to go outside, that it has to hunt, that it has to have fun. I have already made it very clear to you in a video that I will leave below in the description box that the street is not a safe place and that they can face a lot of risks outside. In that video, I told you the story that I had experienced with my cats. My parents live in a house and the cats had free access to the garden and from the garden to the street. Unfortunately, there were several accidents suffered by the cats that lived with us during the time that we let them out freely, and these accidents ended the lives of some of them. Based on my personal experience and everything I have encountered in the clinic as a veterinarian, I am still against cats being allowed to go out for walks freely on the street. But anyway, having said all that, I have already made my disclaimer, and I want to make it clear that in order to help all those poor cats that do go out and take their walks around the neighborhood, I have decided to make this video so that they are less at risk on the street. It doesn't mean that from now on the street will be a safe place for them, but at least we will be helping them. First of all, at what point should you start to worry if your cat doesn't come home? Our cats, even if they go outside and have a great time outside, usually come home several times during the day. They come to eat, to drink, even to rest. In fact, it is very common for a cat to be sleeping inside our house during the day if it leaves our house at night. Therefore, and this is very important, you should start to worry if your cat doesn't come home in 24 hours or at the latest, in 48 hours. From that moment on, you should start actively looking for it, because it could be that your cat is in danger. But anyway, let's understand that your cat comes and goes, enters your house. You see it more or less around here. What should you do to prevent your cat from getting lost or having problems? Did you know that if you let your cat go outside alone, a shelter or animal shelter might think it's abandoned, capture it and take it away to stop it from wandering around and put it up for adoption? Well, to avoid this, the first thing you need to do if your cat goes outside is to identify it correctly. How can you identify a cat? Either with a microchip that's placed under the skin and is completely painless and helps to identify it with us, or. Or with collars. Some people have told me that microchips aren't used in their countries. In this case, we would have to opt for collars. But I've told you many times that collars for cats that go outside can be very dangerous because if they're not unhooked and our cat gets trapped by the collar, it could end up strangled. That's why you should always choose collars with a safety clasp. If your cat gets caught by the collar, the collar will remain behind and your feline companion will be able to continue walking. In addition, if your feline companion were to get lost, people will be able to easily identify them as a domestic cat. If you add an identification tag to the caller, you can include your phone number so they can call you, or even if you put up signs because they're lost, people will also be able to identify that they're a lost domestic cat and will be able to call you. That's why, although I'm not a big fan of callers, in this case, I see a point in them and I think they could be a good option. Did you know that if your cat goes outside, you should always provide a safe area? Obviously, you're not going to be accompanying your feline companion if they're out for a walk, but they don't usually stray far from home when they go out. In fact, in some checks that have been done with gps, it has been found that they usually stay in the same neighborhood. That's why it's so important that if your cat goes outside, you always give them an alternative so they can return to their shelter, which is your home, their house, and escape from other animals, such as dogs or cats that may Be their enemies. And if you've decided to let your feline companion go outside freely, you can think about installing a trapdoor or a cat flap in one of the exterior doors. There are even some cat flaps that are super intelligent, and if your cat has a microchip, they'll only open so they can go through. The problem is that there are some cats that don't know how to deal with the cat flap very well because they see it as a door and they don't like going through there. You'd have to teach your feline companion how to go through it. How do you do this? Either bring them closer little by little, or at first remove the door so they know that the opening is open, and then you can start putting it back in when they've gotten used to using the cat flap without a door. In short, there are several ways, and it's a bit like litter boxes with a door. Our cat has to learn to use it. While there are cats that don't have any trouble with it, I know others do. Did you know that cats that go outside are exposed to more diseases than cats that live indoors? I think it's obvious and you've heard me say it a million times. But it's also true when our cat interacts with other cats that are outside, for example, feral cats. These cats can get some viral diseases, such as leukemia, immunodeficiency, calicivirus, herpesvirus, which are transmitted quite easily between cats, especially if these cats interact with each other through play sharing food sharing water bowls, or even through aggression. There are diseases that can be transmitted in any of these ways. I've already talked about all of these diseases on the channel, and I'll leave you the related videos in the box. That's why it's very important that if your cat goes outside, its vaccination schedule is up to date. It's true that there are some diseases for which there is no vaccine, such as feline immunodeficiency. So don't think that by vaccinating your cat they will be protected against all diseases. Feline immunodeficiency, for example, can contract it. While it would be very rare for a cat that lives indoors and has no contact with other street cats to become infected. And one thing I highly recommend is that if you are going to let your cat outside, you have regular blood tests at least once a year. With blood tests, we can see if there is anything that is not working properly, and we can even test for infectious diseases to detect them earlier and thus help Prevent your cat from developing the disease, such as immunodeficiency, which, although there is no vaccine, if detected early, we can greatly help improve your cat's life, because it is also a disease that has no cure. Did you know that one of the biggest problems with cats going outside is unwanted litters? Imagine that you live with a male cat who goes outside and meets a female cat who is feral, who lives in a cat colony that is not neutered. Your cat can reproduce with that cat and will bring kittens into the world. Many more unwanted kittens that will also have problems. They will get sick. They will not have anything to feed themselves with. They will cause problems for the neighborhood and will promote all of what we call the overpopulation of felines on the streets. An average litter of cats can be between five and six kittens. So if your cat goes outside, you're not only exposing it to danger, but you're also bringing a lot of kittens into the world that are also going to be at risk. This can only be solved if your cat goes outside and is neutered. And I don't care if it's a male or female cat when it comes to this whole castration thing, because if you castrate your feline companion, you're going to prevent it from having a series of other problems, such as it becoming very territorial, getting into trouble in fights with other cats, or even contracting diseases, because some of the diseases of already mentioned in the video are also transmitted sexually. Therefore, if your cat goes outside, castration is very important, because, of course, there are many people who come to me and say, my cat goes outside, but I only let it out when it's in heat. Well, you're exposing it to many problems and also creating more problems in your neighborhood. And there are a lot of kittens coming into the world that are going to be abandoned. Did you know that if your cat goes outside, you shouldn't let it sleep in your bed? It's very important that if your cat goes outside, you always check its fur to see if it has any type of parasite, because these parasites can be transmitted directly to you. Parasites also transmit diseases as it could not be otherwise. When our feline companion, for example, swallows a flea because it bites and scratches it with its mouth, the fleas can transmit tapeworms in its intestine. Another thing is that cats that go outside can catch mice, uh, little birds that can transmit parasites that are not external, not fleas or ticks, but internal, such as intestinal worms. Our cats, intestinal parasites can Also affect us. And although it is not the most common way, if our cat goes outside, it can transmit not only fleas or ticks to us, but also intestinal parasites that, in case you didn't know, can cause a disease called larva migrans. This larva is precisely the youngest form of the parasite that does not feel comfortable in our body and can travel to different places, such as our eyes, and cause serious diseases. Therefore, if your cat goes outside, it should not sleep with you because in bed your head will be stuck to the sheets where the eggs of the parasites and fleas could have remained, and your cat will have climbed on them, and that could affect you. Obviously, we can avoid a high percentage of these risks if we deworm our feline companion frequently. That's why it's very important that if your cat goes outside at least once a month, you deworm it both internally and externally to prevent all these parasites from ending up spreading throughout your home. Even so, even if your cat is dewormed once a month, both internally and externally, if your cat goes outside, I would not recommend that it sleep with you because there is still a risk. Did you know that if your cat goes outside, you should groom its fur more frequently? In case you didn't know, cats that go outside love to sleep in cars, not on the seats, but on the engines. It's very likely that your cat could get dirty with the engine oil, which could also be toxic to it, especially when grooming itself. That's why you should have specific cat wipes to clean its fur every time it comes home. These wipes have a specific ph for cat skin, so they won't cause any problems. But if you don't have access to them, at least a damp cloth with a little soap, very, very little to clean all the grease that could be on it. You would have to wipe it down every time you return home. And if your cat's fur is white, like my little snowflakes, get used to seeing your cat black more often than white. In addition to cleaning them with the wipes, you should also brush them because you will be able to see if there are parasites, which I told you before were very important to eliminate. And you can also detect if your cat has bites. If your cat goes outside and fights with other cats, it is very likely that it will come home with bites. These bites are a bit treacherous because if you have noticed, cats have very fine teeth. So it is very possible that if you do not pay attention, you will not even see blood in the fur because it is very, very small. But in cats mouths as well as in people's or dogs mouths, there are a lot of bacteria and they get under the skin through bites. If we don't detect the bite in time, it can cause an infection which becomes inflamed and eventually explodes or bursts, spilling all the pus. Something very disgusting. But of course something that is also very bad for your feline companion because it is an infection after all. That's why if you brush your cat and you see any small wound, you have to treat it with antiseptic. And that's also why it's very important to have a specific first aid kit for your feline companion. If you don't know what it should contain. I've left a video in the description box below where I'll tell you everything and especially how to apply the antiseptic correctly. And if your cat goes outside, well, that's also important. If your cat doesn't go outside, you have to look for any type of behavior change. If your cat stops eating, doesn't want to move, or complains when you touch it somewhere, it could be that it has encountered some kind of problem on the street that you logically don't know about. And if you notice any of this, run to the vet. And these are more or less all the tips you need to know so that your cat is less at risk on the street. But if you notice throughout the video, in addition to giving you advice, I've been talking to you about the dangers your cat faces if you want your cat to be active, to move, to be awake at home. We've talked to you about this many times and we've given you many alternatives so that you can do this with your cat in a safe environment. There are also other alternatives so that cats can go outside without exposing themselves to risks, such as catios. In some cases, if the cat wants to and is allowed to go outside on a harness. In short, if the cat goes outside, at least it is under control. I stick to my guns. I still say that your cat shouldn't go outside unsupervised, but at least if you've decided to let them go outside and keep going outside, apply this advice and be very vigilant. Your cat's health will depend a lot on you. I hope this video helps to minimize problems as much as possible. If your cat goes outside, leave me a comment and tell me how you do it. And also leave me a comment with your opinion on whether or not cats should go outside freely. All this interests me and enriches the community. And if you like the video, you can give me a like and subscribe to the channel if you haven't already hit the bell icon. So YouTube can notify you when we upload a new video. We also have a secondary channel called Questions and Answers from a Veterinarian. Stop by and check it out, but don't go yet, because first we have to meet Glak del O Este. I don't know if he's the one from Madrid and he lives with Sera Estevez. These two little ones are Runa Carre and Lily, who has long hair. They live with Raquel. She says they're the joy of the house. And here we greet Nour's feline companions. They're Camilo and Aila. And she tells us that they're very vain. That's why they want to be in the videos. Thank you very much for following the Happy Pets and Families channel, and I'll see you in the next video. Okay, let's see. Move back a bit. My hair is a bit Afro today, but I mean. Okay. Uh. I flattened it a bit, didn't I? Okay, okay. Well, you probably all know me by now. If you're a veil. Hi, I'm Carlos. But as I know, the world isn't perfect. But as I know the world is perfect. It's very pretentious of you. Okay. Instead of. Well, I don't know what. It all seems very white label date. Okay. Oh, it's just that since I didn't know it was another one or mixed cats, because they live a little bit inside and a little bit outside. This is already outside the script. I hadn't put it right. No. And therefore. No, because I've already said therefore. I think that before. Well, I've already said this many times. And these risks are completely unnecessary, unnecessarily. And I gave you the example of a male cat so that you can't tell me. I. I don't care. Okay? It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Yes. No, no, not that. It depends on the camera, because of course, there are also many people who. Ah, but the camera are you. Yes, well, but that's why I'm telling you just a little bit of soap. Yes, yes, well, we've said it, so think a little bit before.